1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a switch for computer equipment, and in particular, it relates to such a switch having embedded Bluetooth module that allows a non-Bluetooth enabled user console to input data for Bluetooth master machines.
2. Description of the Related Art
A keyboard, video, mouse (KVM) switch is a hardware device that can be connected to multiple computers and one or more user consoles, such that each user console may be selectively switched to control any one of the computers. Each user console typically includes a display device (monitor) and user input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, as well as other devices such as speakers. When a user console is connected to a selected computer by the KVM switch, the video signals generated by the selected computer is transmitted by the KVM switch to the user console and displayed on its monitor, and user input signals generated by the keyboard and mouse of the user console are transmitted by the KVM switch to the selected computer to control it. Thus, the user console can communicate with the selected computer as if the user console is directly connected to that computer. In addition to communicating with the selected computer, the user console can communicate with and control the KVM switch. For example, the user using the user console can log on to the KVM switch, change the settings of the KVM switch, select one of the multiple computers to control, etc. The KVM switch may implement an on-screen display (OSD) system to assist the user in communicating with the KVM switch. The OSD system generates images such as menus for display on the monitor of the user console, and the user uses the keyboard or mouse to generate input signals for the KVM switch in response to the OSD display.
Bluetooth is a wireless communication technology that enables Bluetooth devices to communicate with each other over short distances using short wavelength radio transmission. When two Bluetooth devices communicate with each other, one device is a master and the other is a slave. Each master can communicate with up to seven slaves in a piconet; typically, the master communicates with one slave device at any given time. Many types of Bluetooth enabled devices have been developed, such as mobile phones, computers, printers (especially tablet computers), digital cameras, keyboard and mouse, game consoles, etc.
For example, Bluetooth keyboards (as slaves) are popular devices uses with tablet computers (as masters) such as iPad™ which do not have their own mechanical keyboards. While tablet computers and smart handheld devices have become more popular and are equipped with more advanced functions so that they can almost achieve the functions of notebook or desktop computers, because these products use touch screen as user input interface, it is not very convenient for the user to input text. Bluetooth keyboards have been used as text input device for convenience. Accordingly, many users use an external Bluetooth keyboard for such computers.
Bluetooth adapters are also available to allow a non-Bluetooth enabled devices to communicate with Bluetooth devices. For example, a widely available type of Bluetooth adapter is in the form of a dongle plugged into a computer's USB port. Stand-alone Bluetooth adapters for computer peripherals have also been proposed, such as that described in US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0028018. As described in this application, a “conventional master computer equipment” can be connected to a “USB Bluetooth peripheral type adapter” to communicate with Bluetooth devices, and a “conventional peripheral computer equipment” can be connected to a “USB Bluetooth master type adapter” to communicate with Bluetooth devices.
KVM switches with embedded Bluetooth modules have also been available. One such device is the “2 Ports USB KVM Switch w/Audio+Bluetooth, Model #KVM3322W” made by Zonet. This KVM has a Bluetooth antenna, and allows the computers connected to the switch to communicate with Bluetooth devices such as Bluetooth enabled computers, via the KVM switch. A Bluetooth driver is required to be installed on the computers (which are themselves non-Bluetooth enabled).